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Tiger Woods is no longer a defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a former employee at Tiger's Florida restaurant, who died last year in a DUI crash.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the estate of Nicholas Immesberger sued The Woods -- along with Tiger and his girlfriend, Erica Herman, the restaurant's GM -- claiming Nicholas was overserved alcohol at the restaurant in the hours before the crash.

In the original suit, the Immesberger estate claimed Nicholas -- who was a bartender -- stayed after a shift on 12/10/2018 and was served to the point of "severe intoxication" before being allowed to get in his car and drive. He crashed and died shortly after.

The family claimed Tiger and Erica knew Nicholas personally -- knew he had an alcohol problem -- and should never have allowed him to be served alcohol.

But, Tiger's attorney, Barry Postman, says the family has had a change of heart when it comes to Woods personally ... and have voluntarily dismissed his name from the lawsuit.

"The decision was clearly appropriate and reflected the fact that Mr. Woods should not have been included in the lawsuit in the first place because he had nothing to do with Mr. Immesberger's death,'' Postman said in a statement.

"While the situation was tragic, the facts will ultimately show that the cause of Mr. Immesberger's car accident were the many decisions made by Mr. Immesberger on the night of his passing.''

Charles Barkley -- who's become extremely political over the years -- says the issue of reparations for slavery is a "serious subject" ... but admits he doesn't see a real clear way to make it happen.

The issue of reparations for the descendants for people enslaved in America has heated up recently -- just last week, there was a heated hearing about reparations at the House of Representatives.

The current debate is over a bill -- H.R. 40 -- which calls for a commission to be created with the mission of studying and coming up with proposals to compensate the descendants of slaves.

There are passionate people on both sides of the argument ... with author/journalist/activist Ta-Nehisi Coates clashing with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell during last week's hearing.

McConnell argued that slavery "happened 150 years ago for whom none of us currently living are responsible."

Coates fired back ... saying the U.S. paid out pensions to the families of Civil War soldiers "well into this century." He also noted the govt. still honors treaties made by people who are long dead.

So, where does Barkley stand on the issue? He's conflicted.

"It's a very difficult subject," Charles said ... "I don't know how you would do it, that's the problem."

"I don't think there's a right or wrong answer ... 'cause I don't know how you would do that actually. I don't know who would get it and who would not get it."

Jussie Smollett still had a noose around his neck more than 40 minutes after his alleged attack -- it's something we already reported, but now, for the first time, we see the video.

Chicago police just released a boatload of evidence, including body cam video of officers responding to the 911 call back in January.

Cops ask Jussie if he wants to take the noose off ... he says he would take it off, but he wanted them to see it before he did.

The actor told the officers he did not want to be recorded and they double checked with him to see if it was okay for them to turn off their body cams.

When cops arrived, Jussie was concerned about his neighbors hearing the fuss and he quickly invited them into his apartment.

He also mentioned his alleged attackers poured bleach on him.

One of the videos [above] is short, but shows the Osundairo brothers running on the street at 2:04 AM after the alleged attack.

Another video shows the Osundairo brothers in a taxi before arriving at the scene of the alleged attack. They're wearing hoodies and one of them is clearly wearing a ski mask as they get out of the car a few blocks from Jussie's apartment at 1:22 AM. The "attack" happened around 2 AM.

It's interesting ... when they get out of the taxi, you can see them through the front windshield, and they don't appear to be holding anything -- no noose, no bags -- that might be used for the alleged attack on Jussie.

Phoenix Suns baller Kelly Oubre Jr. traded his jersey for some oversized white robes on Sunday ... and it was all in the name of FASHION!!!

The 6'7" hooper was front and center at the Pigalle Paris Spring/Summer show at Paris Men's Fashion Week ... as part of the brand's collab with Converse.

The event had pretty much everything you could ask for -- people in silver head caps, creative director Stephane Ashpool in a wolf mask ... and of course, the prettiest player in the NBA.

Oubre is easily one of the most stylish players in the league ... and always takes advantage of every opportunity to show off his unique swag.

Wave Papi thanked Ashpool for the opportunity ... saying "Thank you my brother @stephane_ashpool for allowing me to be apart of your vision. Thank you for bringing ART back to Fashion. Amazing Show."

Ric Flair told us he wasn't gonna let his medical scare slow him down ... and he's proving it -- because the WWE legend ordered up a beer this weekend during an outing with his family.

Sporting a shirt with his own face on it (legendary stuff), the 70-year-old strolled into Hamilton's On Magnolia in Alabama (right near Auburn) flanked by his wife, Wendy Barlow.

Inside the restaurant, Flair was all smiles ... toasting his wife with a pint of beer.

Yeah, sippin' on brew may not be exactly what the doctor recommends just one month after undergoing heart surgery ... but Flair has told us he wants to live life to the fullest while he's still here on earth.

As we previously reported, Flair had a procedure to change up his pacemaker after a medical emergency in May.

When we spoke with Ric on the "TMZ Sports" TV show earlier this month, he told us he plans on living another 25 years ... AT LEAST!

The Justin Bieber vs. Tom Cruise hype train has left the station ... with UFC honcho Dana White saying the celebrity superfight would probably be the biggest Pay-Per-View event in combat sports history!!!

TMZ Sports broke the story ... White said he is seriously interested in putting together the Bieber vs. Cruise fight ... after hearing from two "serious people" with connections to the stars that they'd be down to scrap.

And, we're also told Bieber's rep, Scooter Braun, spoke with William Morris Endeavor co-owner Ari Emanuel and Dana White on a secret phone call and said Bieber is "100%" down with it.

So, when White was leaving Craig's in West Hollywood on Sunday night, he told TMZ Sports he thinks there's a real shot this fight goes down.

"Weirder things have happened, let's put it that way," White said.

"I think it would be the biggest purse ever and I think it would be the biggest Pay-Per-View ever too."

White says the situation is still developing and he hasn't heard anything official from Tom's camp yet -- but he's hopeful he'll have more info in the coming days.

Until then, White seems excited to make it happen ... though he's keeping it real when asked about the actual combat.

The Super Bowl ring didn't happen ... but the engagement ring did!!

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay just proposed to his smokin' hot Ukrainian model girlfriend, Veronika Khomyn ... and (shocker!) she said YES!

The two have been on vacation in the French Riviera -- where the 33-year-old busted out a diamond ring the size of Veronika's knuckle and popped the question.

"Can't wait to call him my husband," Khomyn said.

Sean and 29-year-old Veronika started dating somewhere around 2011 ... when she was a student at George Mason University in Virginia and he was an assistant coach on the Washington Redskins.

Since then, the two have been super tight ... she moved out to L.A. with him when he took the job to coach the Rams. They live together in a home in the San Fernando Valley.

Kobe Bryant has a new lady in the family -- his wife, Vanessa, gave birth to daughter #4 ... and her middle name is "Kobe."

"So thankful for our newest baby blessing," Vanessa said in a statement ... "Capri Kobe Bryant."

Yes! Baby Mamba has a Mamba middle name!!!

40-year-old Kobe also spoke out ... saying, "We are beyond excited that our baby girl 'Koko' has arrived #BryantBunch #4princesses #blessed."

Capri Kobe Bryant joins 3 older sisters ... Natalia (16 years old), Gianna (13 years old) and Bianka (2 years old).

Congrats!

Kobe isn't the first NBA star to give his name to a baby girl -- Iman Shumpert named his daughter Iman Jr. when she was born back in 2015.

10:05 AM PT -- Kim Foxx responded to the order, saying, "I respectfully disagree with the court's conclusion that, in the absence of any conflict, the appointment of a special prosecutor is required."

She continued, "As always, I remain committed to transparency, justice, and the public safety of the communities we serve."

Jussie Smollett could actually be prosecuted for allegedly faking the now infamous attack on the streets of Chicago.

A Chicago judge has ordered a special prosecutor to be appointed to review the way prosecutors handled the case and ultimately dismissed it.

The judge said in his order, "If reasonable grounds exist to further prosecute Smollett, in the interest of justice the special prosecutor may take such action."

This is a stunning turn of events ... as you know, the Office of State's Attorney Kim Foxx essentially dropped all charges against Jussie ... this after the grand jury indicted the actor on 16 felony counts of lying to cops. Jussie claimed he was attacked by 2 men who beat him and put a rope around his neck while yelling racial and homophobic slurs. Cops called BS.

The judge said, "unprecedented irregularities identified in this case" warrants the appointment of a special prosecutor. Some of the irregularities, according to legal docs:

The judge said the State's Attorney screwed the case up after Foxx recused herself, because of comments she had made about the case, there was no one in her office properly overseeing the case ... so says the judge.

The judge used a nautical metaphor to describe the screw-ups, saying, "There was no master on the bridge to guide the ship as it floundered through unchartered waters. And it ultimately lost its bearings."

Some random dude in Nashville got on one knee to propose to his girlfriend ... and none other than NFL Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen was there to capture the whole thing on his phone!!!

Now, the Carolina Panthers star didn't know the couple before the magical moment ... but that didn't keep him from absolutely losing it with excitement when he finds out the girlfriend said "YES."

"Did she say yes??" Olsen asks ... "I got it on video, dude. I'm gonna send it to you!!"

The whole thing is kinda funny -- you can tell the future groom is super excited about the engagement ... but seems a little confused about why this 6'6", 255-pound man is shooting the whole thing.

Don't worry, after some celebratory kissing with his wife-to-be ... the dude seems grateful Olsen got the whole thing on video ... saying "oh my God, you're my hero!"

"This is the best thing I've ever witnessed," Greg told the couple ... "Dude, I am so sending this to you!!!"

Olsen explained why he whipped out his phone and captured it ... saying "I wish I had my engagement on video, so I pull my phone out and capture it. Glad I did even though I didn’t know who they were!"

After YEARS of hype ... Zion Williamson is officially an NBA player after getting drafted as the 1st overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2019 draft.

And that should surprise literally no one.

The ex-Duke superstar has been on everyone's radar ever since he was a 5-star recruit at Spartanburg Day School in SC. Seriously, even Drake was rocking his high school jersey back in 2017!!!

It was a sure thing Williamson would end up in NOLA after the Pels won the lottery ... and now that NBA commish Adam Silver has called his name at Barclays Center in NYC, it's finally official.

But that didn't stop Zion from getting emotional in an interview after walking off the stage ... breaking down in tears with his mother, Sharonda Sampson, by his side.

“My mom sacrificed a lot for me," Zion said. "I wouldn’t be here without my mom. She did everything for me. I just want to thank her."

Z-Dub's rookie contract could be worth around $45 million over 4 seasons ... so the dude's set for a while ... but he'll be making WAY more off the court with his shoe deal and other sponsorships.

As we previously reported, Zion was wearing his Nike Kyrie 5 sneakers at a private workout in L.A. earlier this month .. so it seems like he's leaning towards the Swoosh, despite his PG 2.5 giving out on him in a game earlier this year.

Shoe legend Sonny Vaccaro -- who's responsible for Michael Jordan's rookie deal with Nike --previously told us he'd give the star $100 MILLION to ink a shoe contract. Not bad for an 18-year-old.

Kevin Spacey's sexual assault accuser was texting his girlfriend during their alleged encounter at a Nantucket bar ... and in the texts, he claimed Spacey was getting him drunk and grabbing his genitals.

A string of text messages between the accuser and his girlfriend are included in a new court filing -- obtained by TMZ -- in the criminal sexual assault case against Spacey -- and they're pretty disturbing. According to the docs, the texts are from screenshots taken by the accuser and provided to investigators.

The alleged victim texted his girlfriend ... Spacey, "grabbed my dick like 8 times", "pulled my zipper down", and "reached down my pants." The man ends the convo by writing, "Kevin Spacey is gay."

Spacey's lawyers say the texts appear to pick up mid-conversation, beginning with the man telling his then-GF, Spacey's, "hanging around me in the bar. He got my number and asked me to come out with him." The girlfriend replies, "Sounds like he's hitting on you."

Spacey's team thinks the texts don't tell the full story, because most of them lack time stamps ... and it's possible the accuser deleted other texts that could change the context.

The man also allegedly sent group texts to his friends, writing, "I'm serious. One sec. I'm calling my mom. I'm serious. I'm dead serious. I swear on everyone ... I'm drunk but I'm not f***ing around."

Cleveland Cavaliers owner and billionaire businessman Dan Gilbert has been released from the hospital after suffering a stroke 3 weeks ago ... his company announced on Thursday.

Gilbert had a stroke while receiving medical treatment at a Michigan hospital on May 26. He underwent a catheter-based procedure and later moved to the Intensive Care Unit for recovery.

According to Jay Farner, CEO of Quicken, Gilbert is doing much better ... and was finally able to leave the hospital on Wednesday.

"The Gilbert family is thankful for the tremendous outpouring of support they have received," Farner says.

"Yesterday, Dan Gilbert was discharged from the hospital and will now continue focusing on his recovery at an in-patient rehabilitation center."

Gilbert bought the Cavs back in 2005 ... and is worth nearly 7 BILLION dollars.

10:49 AM PT -- In addition to the curfew, Durk will need to wear an ankle monitor at all times. He also is prohibited from having any contact, direct or indirect, with gang members.

He also cannot be near or possess any weapons, and must stay at least 200 yards away from the victim.

Lil Durk will soon get his wish and be sprung outta jail ... after a judge granted him bond.

The rapper was in court Thursday in Atlanta for a bond hearing which the judge granted and set at $250k. Durk will NOT be on house arrest but will have a curfew from 11 PM until 7 AM.

TMZ broke the story ... Durk turned himself in to police nearly a month ago after an arrest warrant was issued in connection to a February shooting outside a restaurant called The Varsity. He asked the court to grant him bond ... arguing he's not a flight risk. Obviously, the judge agreed.

Durk will now be free while he awaits trial for his alleged role in the shooting. The rapper's attorney, Manny Arora, tells TMZ ... Durk will post bond and be released Friday.

Durk had been booked for 5 felony charges ... including criminal attempt to commit murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and another charge of associating with a criminal street gang to participate in a crime.

10:20 AM PT -- Trump -- who was meeting with Trudeau -- was just asked if he's planning on inviting the Raps to 1600 Penn ... and he said, "That's an interesting question. They played phenomenal basketball, I watched a little bit of it."

"We'll think about that, if they'd like to do it, we'll think about that."

So ... maybe???

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse says he's DEFINITELY looking forward to celebrating their NBA championship with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ... but Donald Trump? That's TBD.

It's uncharted territory for Canada's NBA team, considering this is their first title in franchise history ... so, many have been wondering if the Dinos would get an invite to party at the White House.

Nurse addressed the possibility with Prime Time Sports on SportsNet 590 ... saying the team hasn't gotten a call from Trump's camp yet ... and even if they DO get an invite, he's unsure how they'll RSVP.

But, as for meeting the top guy in Canada? Nurse says plans are already in the works ...

"Definitely the Trudeau meeting, because they have been asking me about scheduling it," Nurse said. "I've heard nothing from the White House. We're Canada's team anyway, right?"

Politics aside, Nurse says he truly doesn't know if there will be a trip to 1600 Penn, "I think we're here. Let's go see Trudeau up in Ottawa ... we're Canada's team."

Remember, the Golden State Warriors -- who won the NBA title the past two years before the Raptors -- famously boycotted Trump's White House ... opting to visit with President Obama instead.

Look at Bill Belichick's face ... that's the MOST we've ever seen him smile -- and it's all because he's on a sick vacation with his beautiful girlfriend ... and still reppin' Boston, HARD!

Bill and Linda Holliday are vacationing off the coast of Greece -- where they're riding on yachts, playing on the beach and visiting some of the historic sites ... including Stadium at Olympia!

FYI, the stadium is said to be the oldest in the world -- and Linda commented, "Someone feels right at home!"

By the way, check out Bill's hat ... it says VII Rings ... the name of his boat back in the United States, which was named after all of the Super Bowl titles he's won.

The hat is clearly an older one because he changed it to "VIII Rings" after the latest Super Bowl win back in February.

Bill and Linda have been dating for years -- and some think it's just a matter of time before she gets a ring of her own!